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A Brooklyn teenager feels his only chance to succeed is as the king of the disco floor. His carefree youth and weekend dancing help him to forget the reality of his bleak life. Full summary » | Full synopsis »

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Trivia:

In the episode of VH1's "Behind the Music" (1997) about the movie, John Travolta addressed the rumors that the below-the-waist shots of Tony in the opening title sequence were done by a body double. Travolta said that it was all him during the sequence except for the one shot where Tony stops and lifts up his shoe to compare it to the shoe in the corner window of the shoe store. That one shot upset him quite a little because the body double was unsteady on his feet, and Travolta was anything but unsteady on his feet.See more »

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: When Frank Jr. leaves the family home, as Tony and Frank Jr. approach the car door, the shadow of the boom mic is visible on the tree trunk.See more »

I am 31 so I was 3 when this movie came out. The first time I saw
Saturday Night Fever was the "Edited For Television" version probably
when I was 6 or 7 years old. At that point, it was about the music, the
dance scenes and the clothes.

It wouldn't be until years later that I understood what a great story
this is. It's a coming of age movie. It's a modern day tragedy. It's a
love story.

The first thing that people think about when they hear Saturday Night
Fever is disco and bell bottoms, but the story is timeless. Travolta
plays Tony Manero, a loser in a nowhere job who only feels alive when
he is on the dance floor at the local disco. There he is adored by his
friends, by women and by strangers. There he is king. Everywhere else
he is nobody. Even at home.

Tony becomes infatuated with a woman named Stephanie. On the surface
Stephanie appears to be much better off than Tony. For the most part
Stephanie is a big talker, but Tony is bothered by her observations.

"Let me guess. You work all week long at some dead end job and then you
go and blow it at all at 2001 (the disco) on the weekends. You're a
cliché. You're no one, going nowhere." As much as Tony is upset by her
words he can't argue with them. Soon Tony becomes frustrated with his
"station in life" and tells Stephanie he wants out (of Brooklyn).

What makes Saturday Night Fever work so much for me is Tony is very
typical of a lot of males who would rather have a good time and party
now than build something toward the future. Bars are full of guys like
Tony. Guys who are super stars in their local drinking establishments,
but have no life outside of the night life.

And of course there's the superb dance scenes that most people remember
Saturday Night Fever for. The soundtrack is also one of the best out
there.

For whatever reason, Saturday Night Fever also has my favorite closing
shot of all time. It's really nothing special, but I get choked up
every time I see it.

Saturday Night Fever is also a snapshot of a period in recent American
history. The movie took place in 1977. The country was a mess after the
Vitenam war ended and before Reagan stormed Washington and once again
instilled a sense of pride in Americans. There was no longer a war to
protest, but the average American didn't have much faith in our
country. I think Saturday Night Fever does an excellent job of
capturing what was probably a common attitude among young adults during
the late 70's. Live for the moment because the future is pretty bleak.

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